Yesterday morning Sydney had its old analogue TV station broadcasts permanently switched off. From now on, you need a new digital TV, or a digital set-top box on your old set, to watch TV (the original channels in digital plus all the new ones).
Sydney was one of the last Australian regions to shut off the old system. Mildura was first in June 2010. Melbourne will be the last, next week. Australia will then be like Europe, which has already been fully digital for several years. By 2016 the whole TV world will be digital, except for North Korea and Laos.
Sydney was switched off mid-morning yesterday. Three of the four channels just suddenly went to snow within a few seconds of each other, but ATN Channel 7 played a proper 3-minute goodbye. They used a slightly changed version of their nightly station shutdown that they used in the 1970s (in the days before 24-hour broadcast). This was the 'My City Of Sydney' film with Tommy Leonetti (1929-79), and the cute animated cartoon of the kangaroo putting its baby to bed.
A nice tribute, and the end of an era.
Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds
2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·
